Kolkata: On Sunday, the birth anniversary of the nation’s father, a Durga idol in Kolkata with the ‘Mahisasura’ (Buffalo demon) replaced by a crudely crafted Mahatma Gandhi-look alike sparked outrage.
On the other hand , The Kolkata police have filed a FIR against the organizing committee of the All India Hindu Mahasabha Durga Puja pandal following a controversy over the depiction of the ‘asura’ as a nerdy, dhoti-clad bald man with a walking stick, resembling Mahatma Gandhi.
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Following police instructions, the organizers of the puja near Ruby Crossing in southwest Kolkata, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, changed the appearance of the idol that resembled Gandhi.
A controversy erupted after a journalist tweeted an image from a pandal in Kolkata depicting Mahatma Gandhi as an asura.
I have been requested by @KolkataPolice cyber cell @DCCyberKP to delete my tweet on a particular puja in Kolkata as they think it might create tension amid the festivities. As a responsible citizen I abide by their request. SI Abhijit Datta told me they were looking into it.
— Indradeep Bhattacharyya (@Indra_Calcutta) October 2, 2022
On the other hand, Goddess Durga slew Mahusasur in an epic battle to end his evil reign, according to mythology.
“The Durga idol that was worshipped here originally had a Mahisasur whose face resembled Mahatma Gandhi’s.” The parallels are purely coincidental. After photos of it went viral, a police team came to the marquee and asked us to change the face,” Chandrachur Goswami, state working president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, told PTI.
The case was filed under the Indian Penal Code’s sections 188 (disobedience to a lawfully promulgated order by a public servant), 283 (causing danger or obstruction in any public way), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention).
Every year, many puja organizers choose a theme, usually a social issue, and depict it with their pandals, idols, and lighting arrangements. The traditional Mahisasura has frequently been replaced by something else that represents social evil.
